Prevention of environmental pollution. Environmental pollution: types of pollution and their description

Pollution of the natural environment.

Pollution of the natural environment is considered to be a physical and chemical change in the composition of a natural substance (air, water, soil), which threatens the health and life of a person and his natural environment. Pollution can be cosmic - natural, which the earth receives in significant quantities from space, from volcanic eruptions, and anthropogenic, committed as a result of human economic activity. Let's consider the second type of pollution, committed by the will of man.

Anthropogenic environmental pollution is divided into several types. These are dust, gas, chemical (including soil contamination with chemicals), aromatic, thermal (changes in water temperature), which negatively affects the life of aquatic animals. The source of environmental pollution is human economic activity (industry, agriculture, transport). Depending on the region, the share of a particular pollution source can vary significantly. Thus, in cities the largest share of pollution comes from transport. Its share in environmental pollution is 70-80%. Among industrial enterprises, metallurgical enterprises are considered the most “dirty”. They pollute the environment by 34%. They are followed by energy enterprises, primarily thermal power plants, which pollute the environment by 27%. The remaining percentages fall on enterprises in the chemical (9%), oil (12%) and gas (7%) industries.

In recent years, agriculture has taken the lead in pollution. This is due to two circumstances. The first is the increase in the construction of large livestock complexes in the absence of any treatment of the generated waste and its disposal, and the second is the increase in the use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides, which, together with rain flows and groundwater, enter rivers and lakes, causing serious damage to large river basins, their fish stocks and vegetation.

Every year, one inhabitant of the Earth produces over 20 tons of waste. The main objects of pollution are atmospheric air, water bodies, including the World Ocean, and soil. Every day, thousands and thousands of tons of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur and other harmful substances are released into the atmosphere. And only 10% of this amount is absorbed by plants. Sulfur oxide (sulfur dioxide) is the main pollutant, the source of which is thermal power plants, boiler houses, and metallurgical plants.

The concentration of sulfur dioxide in nitrogen oxides creates acid rain, which destroys crops, vegetation, and adversely affects the condition of fish stocks. Along with sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, which is formed as a result of combustion, has a negative impact on the atmosphere. Its sources are thermal power plants, metallurgical plants, and transport. Over all previous years, the share of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by 20% and continues to increase by 0.2% per year. If such growth rates are maintained, by the year 2000 the share of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will increase by 30-40%.

Such a physical and chemical change in the atmosphere can lead to the greenhouse effect. Its essence is that the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the upper layers of the atmosphere will interfere with the normal process of heat exchange between the Earth and Space and will restrain the heat accumulated by the Earth as a result of economic activities and due to certain natural reasons, for example, volcanic eruptions.

The greenhouse effect is expressed in rising temperatures, changes in weather and climate. We are already seeing similar phenomena. Under current anthropogenic loads, the temperature will rise by 0.5° every 10 years. The consequences of such temperature changes are expressed in an increase in the level of the World Ocean and the flooding of parts of the land and populated areas. It must be said that over 100 years, the level of the World Ocean has risen by 10-12 cm, but with the greenhouse effect, such a rise can be accelerated 10 times.

Another consequence of the greenhouse effect may be an increase in land desertification. Already, 6 million hectares of land annually turn into desert.

The state of the Earth's ozone layer is associated with atmospheric pollution, the main function of which is to protect humans and the Earth's natural environment from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation from Space. Under the influence of ozone-depleting substances - fleron, freon, chlorine, carbon emitted by refrigeration units, cars, etc., this layer is gradually destroyed, in particular, in some places over densely populated areas its thickness has decreased by 3%. It is known that a 1% reduction in the ozone layer leads to a 6% increase in the incidence of skin cancer.

Other equally important objects of pollution are reservoirs, rivers, lakes, and the World Ocean. Billions of tons of liquid and solid waste are dumped into the World Ocean every year. Among these wastes, the most important is oil, which enters the ocean from ships, as a result of oil production in the marine environment, and also as a result of numerous tanker accidents. An oil spill leads to the formation of an oil film in the ocean and the death of living sea resources, including algae and planton that produce oxygen.

Oxygen in the atmosphere is replenished from two sources - vegetation (approximately 40%) and the World Ocean (60%). In the World Ocean, oxygen is produced by the smallest organisms - planton. The death of planton under the oil film reduces the ocean's ability to replenish the Earth's atmosphere with oxygen reserves. As a result of oil and other pollution of the World Ocean, negative phenomena are observed such as the proliferation of single-celled golden algae, which in the process of its development absorbs oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. She is very prolific and develops at lightning speed. Usually its belt is up to 10 km wide and 35 m thick; travel speed is 25 km per day. In the process of movement, this mass of algae destroys all living life in the ocean - both plant and animal. Such phenomena are observed in the North Sea and southern Scandinavia.

In addition, pollution of the World Ocean leads not only to a reduction in food resources and fish stocks, but also to their contamination with substances harmful to humans. It was found that, for example, Baltic cod has up to 80 milligrams of mercury per 1 kg of weight, i.e. 5-8 times more than in a medical thermometer.

Chemicals used in agriculture have become a massive source of environmental pollution: mineral fertilizers, pesticides, growth stimulants. There are now over 5 million different types of chemical substances and compounds distributed on the planet. Their toxicity has been little studied (approximately 40 thousand substances).

These and other consequences of environmental pollution ultimately negatively affect a person’s physical health, his nervous and mental state, and the health of future generations. Some data: 20% of the population is constantly exposed to allergies as a result of the harmful effects of environmental pollution; Every day 25 thousand people die around the globe due to bad water, i.e. water that contains high concentrations of harmful substances; 35% of the population of industrial cities systematically suffers from various kinds of diseases caused by environmental pollution.

Depletion and destruction of the natural environment.

As a result of economic activity, there is a gradual depletion of the natural environment, i.e. loss of those natural resources that serve as a source of human economic activity. Deforestation has already been discussed above. The loss of forests is not only the loss of oxygen, but also the most important economic resources necessary for human activity.

At the current rate of consumption, proven reserves of coal, oil, natural gas and other minerals are consumed at a higher rate than before, and the quantity of these reserves is catastrophically decreasing. True, society has the prospect of using other, new types of energy, in particular, nuclear energy, hydrogen energy, the reserves of which are inexhaustible. But the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes on a large scale is hampered by the unresolved problem of disposal of waste from the nuclear industry. The development of hydrogen as an energy source is theoretically permissible and possible, but practically, more precisely, technologically, this problem has not yet been solved at the level of industrial production.

The rate of fresh water consumption is increasing, which leads to the depletion of non-renewable water resources. As an example, we can cite the following data: one person spends an average of 150-200 liters of water per day for all needs; metropolitan resident 200-300 l; a resident of Moscow consumes 500-600 liters per day. Some countries are completely deprived of fresh water and rely on imported water. An attempt to solve the problem of providing fresh water by transporting icebergs from northern countries to southern countries, in particular Africa, was unsuccessful. Processing of sea water is underway in the city of Shevchenko on the Caspian Sea, but so far this problem of industrial desalination of sea water has not received widespread development not only in our country, but throughout the world. This has its own difficulties: for consumption, desalinated water must be diluted with ordinary water, and only in such a mixture can it be used for its intended purpose.

Depletion and pollution of the natural environment lead to the destruction of ecological connections, the formation of areas and regions with a completely or partially degraded natural environment, incapable of metabolism and energy. The most striking example of such degradation is the Aral Sea, which is slowly dying due to the lack of necessary water flow from two powerful Central Asian rivers. The steppes of Kalmykia are degraded as a result of irrational use of land, overloading with livestock grazing, which completely deprived the soil of vegetation that held the soil cover.

Pollution of the Earth's atmosphere- introduction of new uncharacteristic physical, chemical and biological substances into the atmospheric air or a change in their natural concentration.

Types of pollution

Based on the sources of pollution, there are two types of air pollution

natural

anthropogenic

Depending on the nature of the pollutant, air pollution is of three types:

physical - mechanical (dust, solid particles), radioactive (radioactive radiation and isotopes), electromagnetic (various types of electromagnetic waves, including radio waves), noise (various loud sounds and low-frequency vibrations) and thermal pollution (for example, emissions of warm air and etc.)

chemical - pollution with gaseous substances and aerosols. Today, the main chemical pollutants of atmospheric air are: carbon monoxide (IV), nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, hydrocarbons, aldehydes, heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr), ammonia, dust and radioactive isotopes

biological - mainly microbial pollution. For example, air pollution with vegetative forms and spores of bacteria and fungi, viruses, as well as their toxins and waste products.

Sources of pollution

The main sources of air pollution are:

Natural (natural pollutants of mineral, plant or microbiological origin, which include volcanic eruptions, forest and steppe fires, dust, pollen, animal excretions, etc.)

Artificial (anthropogenic), which can be divided into several groups:

Transport - pollutants generated during the operation of road, rail, air, sea and river transport;

Industrial - pollutants generated as emissions during technological processes, heating;

Household - pollutants caused by combustion of fuel in the home and processing of household waste.

Based on their composition, anthropogenic sources of air pollution can also be divided into several groups:

Mechanical pollutants - dust from cement factories, dust from coal combustion in boiler rooms, furnaces and furnaces, soot from the combustion of oil and fuel oil, abraded tires, etc.;

Chemical pollutants are dusty or gaseous substances that can enter into chemical reactions;

Radioactive pollutants.

Main pollutants

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas, also known as carbon monoxide. It is formed as a result of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels (coal, gas, oil) under conditions of lack of oxygen and at low temperatures. When inhaled, carbon monoxide, due to the double bond present in its molecule, forms strong complex compounds with hemoglobin in human blood and thereby blocks the flow of oxygen into the blood.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) - or carbon dioxide - is a colorless gas with a sour odor and taste, a product of the complete oxidation of carbon. It is one of the greenhouse gases.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) (sulfur dioxide, sulfur dioxide) is a colorless gas with a pungent odor. It is formed during the combustion of sulfur-containing fossil fuels, mainly coal, as well as during the processing of sulfur ores. It is primarily involved in the formation of acid rain. Global SO2 emissions are estimated at 190 million tons per year. Long-term exposure to sulfur dioxide in humans first leads to loss of taste, constricted breathing, and then to inflammation or swelling of the lungs, interruptions in cardiac activity, impaired circulation and respiratory arrest.

Nitrogen oxides (nitrogen oxide and dioxide) are gaseous substances: nitrogen monoxide NO and nitrogen dioxide NO2 are combined by one general formula NOx. During all combustion processes, nitrogen oxides are formed, mostly in the form of oxide. The higher the combustion temperature, the more intense the formation of nitrogen oxides. Another source of nitrogen oxides are enterprises producing nitrogen fertilizers, nitric acid and nitrates, aniline dyes, and nitro compounds. The amount of nitrogen oxides entering the atmosphere is 65 million tons per year. Of the total amount of nitrogen oxides emitted into the atmosphere, transport accounts for 55%, energy - 28%, industrial enterprises - 14%, small consumers and the household sector - 3%.

Ozone (O3) is a gas with a characteristic odor, a stronger oxidizing agent than oxygen. It is considered one of the most toxic of all common air pollutants. In the lower atmospheric layer, ozone is formed as a result of photochemical processes involving nitrogen dioxide and volatile organic compounds.

Hydrocarbons are chemical compounds of carbon and hydrogen. These include thousands of different air pollutants contained in unburned gasoline, liquids used in dry cleaning, industrial solvents, etc.

Lead (Pb) is a silvery-gray metal that is toxic in any known form. Widely used for the production of paints, ammunition, printing alloy, etc. About 60% of the world's lead production is consumed annually in the production of lead acid batteries. However, the main source (about 80%) of air pollution with lead compounds is the exhaust gases of vehicles that use leaded gasoline.

Industrial dusts, depending on the mechanism of their formation, are divided into the following 4 classes:

mechanical dust - formed as a result of product grinding during the technological process;

sublimates - are formed as a result of volumetric condensation of vapors of substances during cooling of gas passed through a technological apparatus, installation or unit;

fly ash - a non-combustible fuel residue contained in the flue gas in suspension, formed from its mineral impurities during combustion;

industrial soot is a solid, highly dispersed carbon that is part of industrial emissions and is formed during incomplete combustion or thermal decomposition of hydrocarbons.

The main sources of anthropogenic aerosol air pollution are thermal power plants (TPPs) consuming coal. Coal combustion, cement production and iron smelting produce a total dust emission into the atmosphere equal to 170 million tons per year.

Consequences of Earth's atmosphere pollution

The consequences of earth pollution include the greenhouse effect, acid rain, smog and the ozone hole. Astronomers say that the transparency of the atmosphere has decreased recently. It has also been established that at least 1.3 million people die every year due to atmospheric pollution.

Hydrosphere pollution.

Brief description of hydrosphere pollution.

The 20th century is characterized by intensive development of industry, and as a consequence of this, severe pollution of the hydrosphere (rivers, lakes, seas and the ocean as a whole). Natural waters are polluted by wastewater from various enterprises and households. Substances enter these waters, having a harmful effect on the flora and fauna of water bodies, for example, oil, settling dust emissions from the construction industry, the food chemical industry and other sectors of the national economy. So in the 60s of the 20th century, commercial fish disappeared in the waters of the Moscow River (within the city).

Water transport has a great polluting effect on natural waters, both due to the release of waste from household and industrial activities, and due to fuel leakage and corrosion processes on ships. Due to the ingress of various chemical compounds into fresh waters, these waters lose their consumer qualities and require more costs for their purification.

The supply of high-quality fresh water on Earth is constantly decreasing. Accidents at enterprises located on river banks cause great damage to the hydrosphere. Agricultural enterprises also heavily pollute the hydrosphere, especially large livestock breeding complexes and agro-industrial complexes for growing and processing agricultural products. The irrational use of fertilizers, plant and animal protection products, and additives that increase agricultural productivity deteriorates the quality of natural waters and makes these waters unsuitable for use without special treatment. In addition to chemical pollution, biological pollutants (microorganisms), including pathogens, enter the waters of reservoirs, which, under favorable conditions, multiply intensively and are a source of epidemics.

One of the most dangerous pollutants in water bodies is oil. It has been established that 1% of all transported oil enters the world's oceans. One ton of oil covers 12 square meters with the thinnest film. km. surface, making it unsuitable for plankton life. Light oil fractions form a mobile film, medium (by mass) - a suspended emulsion, and heavy (fuel oil) - settle to the bottom and have a toxic effect on benthic forms of aquatic organisms.

The most dangerous pollutants of the hydrosphere are radioactive substances that enter the ocean waters during accidents of submarines with nuclear warheads, due to accidents of nuclear reactors and as a result of underwater nuclear explosions. Unfortunately, ocean waters are used to bury hazardous waste, including nuclear waste. Substances that have radioactivity are dangerous because their negative effects are long-term and lead to deformities due to mutations, etc.

Great damage to natural waters is caused by wastewater from the pulp and paper industry, which changes the reaction of the environment (pH), introduces various organic substances into the water, which have a toxic effect on aquatic organisms, and also combines natural waters with oxygen due to oxidation.

Wastewater from thermal power plants plays a negative role due to the fact that it increases the temperature of natural reservoirs, at which more intensive reproduction of organisms, including pathogens, occurs.

Severe biological pollution of the hydrosphere occurs due to the ingress of household wastewater containing feces into it. In addition, these waters also contain synthetic detergents (SDCs) that are poorly decomposed in natural conditions.

The waters of rivers and lakes receive storm and flood runoff from urban areas, contaminated with salts and household waste. Hundreds of thousands of objects float in the waters of the seas that do not break down in the natural environment (glass bottles and containers made from artificial polymers and other objects).

Significant clogging and pollution is caused by the moth floating of the forest, since the masses of floating forest injure fish and block their path to spawning grounds; Due to the extraction of substances contained in wood, water is polluted with these substances.

Contaminants released into water can enter the human body through the food chain, especially fish. An impressive example of the danger that poses a threat to human health and life due to water pollution is the so-called Minamata disease. On the shores of Minamata Bay, in the south of Japan, previously considered the “Garden of the Sea” due to the richness and diversity of marine organisms, in 1956 a previously unknown disease was noted for the first time. It was expressed in the impairment of a person’s vision, hearing and touch, as well as in the shutdown of his behavior. Until the end of 1972, 292 cases of the disease were discovered, of which 62 resulted in death. Only in 1969 was it possible to finally prove that the cause of the disease was methylmercury compounds, which for many years had been entering the bay from the sewer with the waters of the Nippon Chisso (Japanese Nitrogen) factory. The toxic substance traveled with small marine organisms and small fish to larger fish, which were caught by local residents and used as food. The disease primarily affected poor fishermen who ate fish daily.

Harmful substances from polluted water bodies can enter our body not only through the food chain. Swimming in heavily polluted lakes, rivers and seas can be harmful.

“It is hereby announced that from early tomorrow morning all residents are forbidden to shit in the stream, since our illustrious magistrate has ordered that beer be brewed the day after tomorrow.” This inscription in the rough but rich language of the “Good Old Days” can be read on an old engraving. It demonstrates how in past centuries the removal of domestic wastewater from the city was organized. Is this matter better handled today? In many places - yes, but not everywhere. Thus, on the way from the Egyptian port of Alexandria to Cairo, one can often see tables on the banks of canals and irrigation ditches in oases, on which, with the help of bright drawings of the area, it was explained to the population that it was impossible to discharge their natural needs into reservoirs.

One of the reasons for the ban is schistosomiasis, a disease called bilharzia, after the name of the sender, the German doctor Theodor Bilharz. When a person works, swims or simply bathes in water where there are pathogens of this disease, he runs the risk of contracting it: the pathogen easily penetrates the skin. It is estimated that more than 200 million people worldwide suffer from schistosomiasis.

Vernadsky's doctrine of the biosphere and the concept of the noosphere.

According to Vernadsky's ideas, the biosphere consists of several heterogeneous components. The main and fundamental one is living matter, the totality of all living organisms inhabiting the Earth. In the process of life, living organisms interact with nonliving (abiogenic) - inert matter. Such a substance is formed as a result of processes in which living organisms do not take part, for example, igneous rocks. The next component is a biogenic substance created and processed by living organisms (atmospheric gases, coal, oil, peat, limestone, chalk, forest litter, soil humus, etc.). Another component of the biosphere - bioinert matter - is the result of the joint activity of living organisms (water, soil, weathering crust, sedimentary rocks, clay materials) and inert (abiogenic) processes.

The inert substance sharply predominates in mass and volume. Living matter by mass makes up an insignificant part of our planet: approximately 0.25% of the biosphere. Moreover, “the mass of living matter remains basically constant and is determined by the radiant solar energy of the planet’s population.” Currently, this conclusion of Vernadsky is called the law of constancy.

IN AND. Vernadsky formulated five postulates related to the function of the biosphere.

The first postulate: “From the very beginning of the biosphere, the life entering into it should have been a complex body, and not a homogeneous substance, since its biogeochemical functions associated with life, due to their diversity and complexity, cannot be the lot of any one form of life.” In other words, the primitive biosphere was originally characterized by rich functional diversity.

The second postulate: “Organisms do not manifest themselves individually, but in a mass effect... The first appearance of life... should have occurred not in the form of the appearance of one particular type of organism, but of their totality, corresponding to the geochemical function of life. Biocenoses should have appeared immediately.”

The third postulate: “In the general monolith of life, no matter how its constituent parts change, their chemical functions could not be affected by morphological change.” That is, the primary biosphere was represented by “collections” of organisms such as biocenoses, which were the main “acting force” of geochemical transformations. Morphological changes in the “aggregates” did not affect the “chemical functions” of these components.

The fourth postulate: “Living organisms... with their breathing, their nutrition, their metabolism... by a continuous change of generations... give rise to one of the most grandiose planetary phenomena... - the migration of chemical elements in the biosphere,” therefore, “over the entire course of the past millions years, we see the formation of the same minerals; at all times, the same cycles of chemical elements occurred as we see now.”

Fifth postulate: “All functions of living matter in the biosphere, without exception, can be performed by the simplest single-celled organisms.”

Developing the doctrine of the biosphere, V.I. Vernadsky came to the conclusion that the main transformer of cosmic energy is the green matter of plants. Only they are capable of absorbing the energy of solar radiation and synthesizing primary organic compounds.

Noosphere- sphere of reason; the sphere of interaction between society and nature, within the boundaries of which intelligent human activity becomes the determining factor of development (this sphere is also designated by the terms “anthroposphere”, “biosphere”, “biotechnosphere”.

The noosphere is supposedly a new, highest stage of the evolution of the biosphere, the formation of which is associated with the development of society, which has a profound impact on natural processes. According to V.I. Vernadsky, “in the biosphere there is a great geological, perhaps cosmic, force, the planetary action of which is usually not taken into account in ideas about the cosmos... This force is the mind of man, his directed and organized will as a social being”

Soil pollution

Soil is a natural formation that has a number of properties of living and inanimate nature. The depth does not exceed 20-30 cm; on chernozems it can reach about 100 cm.

The soil consists of organic substances, mineral compounds, living organisms; Every soil has its own genotype.

Humus is the main and indispensable condition for the grain content of the soil; it is a complex organo-mineral complex. Under the best farming conditions, a positive balance of humus is maintained in natural conditions.

Anthropogenic pollution of the environment

Environmental pollution is understood as an undesirable change in its properties as a result of anthropogenic input of various substances and compounds. This pollution leads to harmful effects on the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, buildings, structures and materials, and ultimately on humans themselves. The main source of such pollution is the return into nature of a huge mass of waste that is generated in the process of production and consumption of human society. According to scientists, in 1970 they amounted to 40 million tons, and by the end of the 20th century. their volume can reach 100 billion tons. The entry into the environment of chemical substances synthesized by mankind and previously not existing in nature is especially dangerous. There are a large number of contaminants and their types. Let's look at some of them.

Soil pollution occurs as a result of irrational environmental management. This pollution can arise from illiterate farming, land disturbance, during construction and mining. As a result, little productive and unproductive lands appear. In extreme cases, a landscape of so-called “bad lands” (badlands) arises, which currently occupy 1% of the land surface. An important cause of soil pollution can be industrial and agricultural waste, household waste, and improper application of fertilizers. The main pollutants are heavy metals and their compounds, fertilizers, pesticides, and radioactive substances.

Pollution of the hydrosphere occurs primarily as a result of the discharge of wastewater into rivers, lakes and seas. Their total volume reaches 1 thousand km 3 per year. To neutralize them by dilution, about 10 thousand km 3 of clean water is required. The most polluted rivers are the Rhine, Danube, Seine, Tiber, Mississippi, Ohio, Volga, Dnieper, Don, Dniester, Nile, and Ganges.

Pollution of the World Ocean is growing, into which about 100 million tons of waste ends up. The most polluted seas are the Mediterranean, Northern, Irish, Baltic, Black, Azov, Japanese, Java and Caribbean. Oil pollution causes great harm. 3-4 million tons of oil and petroleum products enter the World Ocean annually, and according to some estimates, much more (up to 16 million tons). It is believed that 1/3 of the surface of the World Ocean is covered with an oily film. Oil pollution is especially high in the Northern, Mediterranean, Caribbean Seas, Persian and Mexican Gulfs.

Atmospheric pollution occurs primarily as a result of the combustion of mineral fuels. The main atmospheric pollutants are oxides of carbon, sulfur and nitrogen. The annual release of acid gas into the atmosphere is estimated at 100-150 million tons. Its emissions are associated with the formation of so-called acid rains, which cause great harm to the natural and animal world, reduce productivity, destroy buildings, architectural monuments, and negatively affect on the health of people. Acid rain is most widespread in Europe and North America. For example, in Scandinavia, which receives acid rain mainly from Great Britain and Germany, salmon, trout and other fish have disappeared from 20 thousand lakes. In many Western countries In Europe and in some regions of Russia, forests are dying due to acid rain.

Currently, environmental pollution has reached such an extent that urgent measures need to be taken. There are three main ways to solve environmental problems. The first is the creation of treatment facilities, the use of low-sulfur fuel, the destruction and processing of garbage, the construction of chimneys with a height of 200-300 m or more, land reclamation, etc. The second direction of overcoming environmental pollution is the development and application of environmental (“clean”) production technology, the development of recycling methods of water supply, etc. This path is of particular importance, since it not only reduces, but prevents environmental pollution. The third way is a deeply thought-out, rational placement of “dirty” industries that have an adverse impact on the environment.

Environmental policy

Environmental pollution and unsustainable use of natural resources impede the development of production and threaten people's lives. Therefore, a massive public movement began in defense of nature. Most economically developed countries and some developing countries have begun to implement public environmental policies. Environmental laws were adopted and state environmental protection bodies were created. As a result, in the 80s. Environmental pollution in some regions of the world is gradually decreasing. However, in most countries the environmental situation continues to remain tense. The efforts of individual countries were not enough to implement environmental policy. The efforts of the entire world community are needed. The UN system has a special immersive environment program (UNEP), etc. Geographers from many countries, including Russia, are taking part in this work.

Stopping pollution is essential to saving our planet and ensuring people's health and well-being. The air and water are poisoned by dangerous chemicals, and if nothing is done, the Earth will lose its beauty and diversity. This article will tell you some ways you can do your part to stop pollution.

Steps

Selecting a vehicle

If possible, walk or bike. Avoiding your car for short trips is a great way to improve the environment. If you don't have far to travel and the weather is good, walk or bike. This way you will not only help stop environmental pollution, but also get some useful exercise.

Use public transport. Traveling by bus or subway will help reduce your carbon emissions because you won't be using your own car. If public transport is excellent where you live, use it. This will allow you to take your mind off the road and read or just relax.

Combine trips. Daily travel by private car has a negative impact on the environment. Therefore, when you need to travel for several things, try to combine your trips into one. This will also save you money, since starting a cold engine uses 20% more fuel than when the car is running.

Have your vehicle serviced regularly to ensure that the engine and components are operating properly. Keeping your car in excellent condition will reduce your carbon emissions and also help prevent other problems with your car.

Change the oil every 3 months or every 5000 km.
Maintain recommended tire pressure.
Change air, oil and fuel filters regularly.

Drive carefully, because dangerous driving contributes to environmental pollution. Driving safely will also save you money by reducing your fuel consumption.
- Accelerate gradually, lightly pressing the gas pedal.
- Do not exceed the permitted speed.
- Maintain a constant speed (try using cruise control if you have it).
- Prepare for braking in advance.
Buy a hybrid or electric car. Electric cars run solely on electricity, so they don't produce any emissions. A hybrid car has an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. Both electric and hybrid cars help reduce pollution. Although a hybrid car uses gasoline, such cars are more fuel efficient and produce fewer emissions (compared to conventional cars).
- Keep in mind that the price of electric and hybrid cars is higher than most conventional cars.
Food selection
1. Buy local products whenever possible. Transporting food across the country and around the world uses significant amounts of fuel, resulting in air pollution. So, buy locally sourced foods from nearby farms rather than food imported from other regions. If the farmer or gardener sells their own produce, ask how they grow it to learn about their efforts to prevent pollution.
  - Go to a farmer's market to interact with the direct producers of the food.
  - Find products made or grown by local producers at your local store.
  - At large grocery stores, look for products made in your region.
2. Limit or avoid consumption of animal products made in large factories. This means meat, milk, cheese and eggs. Such enterprises heavily pollute the environment - the waste of some of them is comparable to the waste of a small city. To do your part to protect the environment, do not buy or eat animal products produced in large factories.
  - If you cannot give up animal products, reduce your consumption, for example, to 1-2 times a week.
  - If you want to help make an even bigger difference in the fight for a cleaner environment, consider becoming a vegetarian or vegan.
3. Eat organically grown fruits and vegetables. These products are grown by farmers who use production methods that do not harm the environment. For example, such farmers do not use chemical pesticides that pollute groundwater. By purchasing organically grown fruits and vegetables, you contribute to the development of farmers who practice environmentally friendly production methods.
  - Look for fruits, vegetables and other foods labeled "Organic."
4. Grow your own fruits and vegetables. Plant a garden or vegetable garden on your own property, and you will contribute to protecting the environment. Plants and trees convert carbon into oxygen, which reduces air pollution. Moreover, the fruits and vegetables you grow will replace products from the store, which require a lot of fuel to transport.
  - If you're new to gardening, start small. To start, plant some tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers in your garden. As you gain experience and skills, gradually expand the area of your garden.
Selecting an Energy Source
1. When leaving the room, turn off the lights and electrical appliances. To save more energy, you can unplug electrical appliances. Or connect all electrical appliances to the surge protector so that when it is turned off, all electrical appliances are turned off at once.
  
  Make small changes that will lead to significant energy savings. It is recommended to do the following:
  
  If you have the ability to regulate the temperature in the room, set the thermostat to 25 °C in the warm season, and 20 °C in the cold season. You will save energy by properly regulating your heating and air conditioning system.
  
  Improve the insulation of your home. To do this, caulk the cracks around the window frames or replace the old frames with new ones. In winter, you can use special means. If you have old-style frames and not double-glazed windows, you can seal them for the winter so that the heat does not leave your home.
  
  Consider alternative energy sources. If you live in your own home or are planning to build one, explore the possibility of installing solar panels or a wind turbine.
  
  Consider switching to a different energy source. This means switching from a non-renewable source (for example, gas) to a renewable one (electricity). For example, if you are designing your own home, consider installing an electric boiler instead of a gas one. In a city apartment, you can replace a stove with a gas oven with an electric stove, if the electrical wiring allows.
Recycle, reuse and reduce waste
1. Recycle everything that can be recycled. If possible, avoid purchasing products that do not have a triangle with arrows symbol on the packaging to indicate that the product can be recycled. Also avoid products made from several different materials (these products are difficult to recycle).
  - Find out if your waste collection company offers recycling services. If not, there may be special centers in your city where you can take recyclable waste. Find out on the Internet where you can take, for example, waste paper or plastic bottles.
2. Buy products made from recycled materials. This way you will help reduce the demand for new materials, the production of which pollutes the environment.
  - Look for products labeled “Made from Recycled Materials.”
  - Recycled products are often labeled with percentages indicating the amount of recycled material out of the total raw material. Look for products that have large percentages listed on them.
Preventing chemicals from entering the water supply
1. Use fewer chemicals. The chemicals we use for cleaning, personal hygiene, and car washing are washed down the drain, but often end up in the water supply. Such chemicals are harmful not only to the plants and animals that make up the ecosystem of our planet, but also to humans. If possible, use natural analogues of chemicals.
  - For example, to clean the bathroom, you can make a solution of vinegar and water or baking soda, salt and water. These natural ingredients are excellent cleaning agents, but they do not pollute the water when washed down the drain.
  - Try making your own laundry detergent and dishwashing detergent. If you don't have time, buy a detergent made from natural ingredients.
  - If you can't find a natural alternative, use chemicals in the smallest quantities possible.
2. Do not use pesticides or herbicides. These chemicals are sprayed above the ground and when it rains they fall into the groundwater. Pesticides and herbicides protect crops from pests, but they harm the environment by leaking into groundwater, which is essential for the survival of people and animals.
3. Do not flush medications down the drain. Disinfection systems cannot completely remove drug residues from water, which negatively affects every person who drinks such water. Each medicine has specific instructions for disposing of it. If you need to throw away medications, find out how to do it correctly (do not flush medications down the drain!).
  - It is recommended to wash off some medications so that they do not fall into the hands of a certain category of people (for example, children). But remember that this is an exception to the rule.

ANTHROPOGENIC ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION: CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES

Environmental pollution- undesirable changes in its properties as a result of anthropogenic input of various substances and compounds. It leads or may lead in the future to harmful effects on the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, flora and fauna, buildings, structures, materials, and humans themselves. It suppresses nature’s ability to self-restore its properties.

Human pollution of the environment has a long history. Even the inhabitants of Ancient Rome complained about the pollution of the waters of the Tiber River. Residents of Athens and Ancient Greece were concerned about the pollution of the waters of the port of Piraeus. Already in the Middle Ages, laws on environmental protection appeared.

The main source of pollution is the return to nature of that huge mass of waste that is generated in the process of production and consumption of human society. Already in 1970 they amounted to 40 billion tons, and by the end of the 20th century. increased to 100 billion tons.

In this case, it is necessary to distinguish between quantitative and qualitative pollution.

Quantitative environmental pollution arises as a result of the return to it of those substances and compounds that are found in nature in a natural state, but in much smaller quantities (for example, these are compounds of iron and other metals).

Qualitative environmental pollution is associated with the entry into it of substances and compounds unknown to nature, created primarily by the organic synthesis industry.

Pollution of the lithosphere (soil cover) occurs as a result of industrial, construction and agricultural activities. In this case, the main pollutants are metals and their compounds, fertilizers, pesticides, radioactive substances, the concentration of which leads to changes in the chemical composition of soils. The problem of accumulation of household waste is also becoming more and more complex; It is no coincidence that in the West the term “garbage civilization” is sometimes used in relation to our time.

And this is not to mention the complete destruction of the soil cover as a result, first of all, of open-pit mining, the depth of which - including in Russia - sometimes reaches 500 m or even greater. The so-called badlands (“bad lands”), which have completely or almost completely lost their productivity, already occupy 1% of the land surface.

Pollution of the hydrosphere occurs primarily as a result of the discharge of industrial, agricultural and domestic wastewater into rivers, lakes and seas. By the end of the 90s. the total global volume of wastewater is close to 5 thousand km3 per year, or 25% of the Earth’s “water ration”. But since these waters require on average 10 times the volume of clean water to dilute, they actually pollute a much larger volume of stream water. It is not difficult to guess that this, and not just the increase in direct water intake, is the main reason for the aggravation of the fresh water problem.

Many rivers are heavily polluted - the Rhine, Danube, Seine, Thames, Tiber, Mississippi. Ohio, Volga, Dnieper, Don, Dniester. Nile, Ganges, etc. Pollution of the World Ocean is also growing, the “health” of which is threatened simultaneously from the coast, from the surface, from the bottom, from rivers and the atmosphere. Every year a huge amount of waste enters the ocean. The most polluted internal and marginal seas are the Mediterranean, Northern, Irish, Baltic, Black, Azov, internal Japanese, Javanese, Caribbean, as well as the Biscay, Persian, Gulf of Mexico and Guinea.

The Mediterranean Sea is the largest inland sea on Earth, the cradle of several great civilizations. On its shores there are 18 countries, 130 million people live, and 260 ports. In addition, the Mediterranean Sea is one of the main zones of world shipping: it simultaneously hosts 2.5 thousand long-distance vessels and 5 thousand coastal vessels. 300-350 million tons of oil pass along its routes annually. As a result, this sea in the 60-70s. has turned into almost the main “cesspool” of Europe.

Pollution affected not only inland seas, but also the central parts of the oceans. The threat to deep-sea depressions is increasing: there have been cases of toxic substances and radioactive materials being buried in them.

But oil pollution poses a particular danger to the Ocean. As a result of oil leakage during its production, transportation and processing, from 3 to 10 million tons of oil and oil products enter the World Ocean annually (according to various sources). Space images show that already about 1/3 of its entire surface is covered with an oily film, which reduces evaporation, inhibits the development of plankton, and limits the interaction of the Ocean with the atmosphere. The Atlantic Ocean is most polluted with oil. The movement of surface water in the Ocean causes pollution to spread over long distances.

Atmospheric pollution occurs as a result of the work of industry, transport, as well as various furnaces, which together annually throw billions of tons of solid and gaseous particles into the wind. The main atmospheric pollutants are carbon monoxide (CO) and sulfur dioxide (SO 2), formed primarily during the combustion of mineral fuels, as well as oxides of sulfur, nitrogen, phosphorus, lead, mercury, aluminum and other metals.

Sulfur dioxide is the main source of so-called acid rain, which is especially widespread in Europe and North America. Acid precipitation reduces crop yields, destroys forests and other vegetation, destroys life in river bodies, destroys buildings, and negatively affects human health.

In Scandinavia, which receives acid precipitation mainly from Great Britain and Germany, life has perished in 20 thousand lakes, salmon, trout and other fish have disappeared from them. In many Western European countries, catastrophic forest loss is occurring. The same destruction of forests began in Russia. Not only living organisms, but also stone cannot withstand the effects of acid precipitation.

A particular problem is created by the increase in carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions into the atmosphere. If in the middle of the 20th century. worldwide CO 2 emissions amounted to approximately 6 billion tons, then at the end of the century it exceeded 25 billion tons. The economically developed countries of the northern hemisphere bear the main responsibility for these emissions. But recently, carbon emissions have also increased significantly in some developing countries due to the development of industry and especially energy. You know that such emissions threaten humanity with the so-called greenhouse effect and global warming. And the growing emission of chlorofluorocarbons (freons) has already led to the formation of huge “ozone holes” and partial destruction of the “ozone barrier”. The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 indicates that cases of radioactive contamination of the atmosphere also cannot be completely excluded.

SOLVING ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS: THREE MAIN WAYS.

But humanity is not only littering its “nest”. It has developed ways to protect the environment and has already begun to implement them.

The first way is to create various types of treatment facilities, use low-sulfur fuel, destroy and process waste, build chimneys 200-300 m high or more, reclaim land, etc. However, even the most modern facilities do not provide complete purification. And ultra-high chimneys, reducing the concentration of harmful substances in a given place, contribute to the spread of dust pollution and acid rain to much wider areas: a chimney 250 m high increases the dispersion radius to 75 km.

The second way consists in the development and application of a fundamentally new environmental (“clean”) production technology, in the transition to low-waste and waste-free production processes. Thus, the transition from direct-flow (river - enterprise - river) water supply to recycling, and even more so to “dry” technology, can ensure first a partial and then a complete cessation of wastewater discharge into rivers and reservoirs.

This path is the main one, since it not only reduces, but prevents environmental pollution. But it requires huge expenses that are unaffordable for many countries.

The third way is a deeply thought-out, most rational placement of so-called “dirty” industries that have a negative impact on the environment. The number of “dirty” industries primarily includes the chemical and petrochemical, metallurgical, pulp and paper industries, thermal energy, and production of building materials. Geographical expertise is especially necessary when locating such businesses.

Another way is to reuse raw materials. In developed countries, reserves of secondary raw materials are equal to explored geological reserves. The centers for the procurement of recyclable materials are old industrial areas of Foreign Europe, the USA, Japan, and the European part of Russia.

Table 14. Share of waste paper in the production of paper and cardboard at the end of the 80s, in%.

ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVITIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY.

The theft of natural resources and the growth of environmental pollution have become an obstacle not only to the further development of production. They often threaten people’s very lives. Therefore, back in the 70-80s. Most economically developed countries of the world began to carry out a variety of environmental activities, carry out environmental policy. Strict environmental laws were adopted, long-term environmental improvement programs were developed, fine systems were introduced (based on the “polluter pays” principle), special ministries and other government bodies were created. At the same time, a massive public movement began to protect the environment. In many countries, green parties emerged and achieved considerable influence, and various public organizations emerged, for example Greenpeace.

As a result, in the 80-90s. Environmental pollution in a number of economically developed countries has begun to gradually decrease, although in most developing countries and some countries with economies in transition, including Russia, it still remains threatening.

Domestic geographers identify 16 critical ecological areas in Russia, which together occupy 15% of the country's territory. Among them, industrial-urban agglomerations predominate, but there are also agricultural and recreational areas.

In our time, to carry out environmental activities and implement environmental policy, the measures taken by individual countries are not enough. The efforts of the entire world community, coordinated by the UN and other international organizations, are needed. In 1972, the first UN Conference on Environmental Problems took place in Stockholm; its opening day, June 5, was declared World Environment Day. Subsequently, an important document, the “World Conservation Strategy,” was adopted, which contained a detailed program of action for all countries. Another similar conference took place in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro. It adopted Agenda 21 and other important documents. There is a special body in the UN system - the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), which coordinates work carried out in different countries and generalizes world experience. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the International Geographical Union (IGU) and other organizations are actively involved in environmental activities. In the 80-90s. International agreements have been concluded to reduce carbon emissions, freons and many others. Some of the measures being taken have distinct geographical aspects.

At the end of the 90s. There are already about 10 thousand protected natural areas (PAs) in the world. Most of them are in the USA, Australia, Canada, China, and India. The total number of national parks is approaching 2 thousand, and biosphere reserves - 350.

Since 1972, the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage has been in force. In 1998, the World Heritage List, which is updated annually, included 552 objects - including 418 cultural, 114 natural and 20 cultural-natural. The largest number of such objects are in Italy and Spain (26 each), France (23), India (21), Germany and China (19 each), the USA (18), the UK and Mexico (17 each). There are currently 12 of them in Russia.

And yet, each of you, citizens of the coming 21st century, must always remember the conclusion reached at the Rio 92 Conference: “Planet Earth is in such danger as it has never been before.”

GEOGRAPHICAL RESOURCES AND GEOECOLOGY

In geographical science, two interrelated directions have recently taken shape - resource science and geoecological.

Geographical resource science studies the location and structure of certain types of natural resources and their complexes, issues of their protection, reproduction, economic assessment, rational use and resource availability.

Scientists representing this direction have developed various classifications of natural resources and proposed concepts natural resource potential , resource cycles, territorial combinations of natural resources, natural-technical (geotechnical) systems and others. They also participate in compiling inventories of natural resources and their economic assessment.

Natural resource potential (NRP) of the territory- this is the totality of its natural resources that can be used in economic activities, taking into account scientific and technological progress. PDP is characterized by two main indicators - size and structure, which includes mineral resources, land, water and other private potentials.

Resource cycle allows you to trace the successive stages of the natural resource cycle: identification, extraction, processing, consumption, return of waste back into the environment. Examples of resource cycles include: the cycle of energy resources and energy, the cycle of metal ore resources and metals, the cycle of forest resources and timber.

Geoecology from a geographical perspective, studies the processes and phenomena that arise in the natural environment as a result of anthropogenic intervention in it. Concepts of geoecology include, for example, the concept monitoring
Basic concepts: geographical (environmental) environment, ore and non-metallic minerals, ore belts, mineral basins; structure of the world land fund, southern and northern forest belts, forest cover; hydropower potential; shelf, alternative energy sources; resource availability, natural resource potential (NRP), territorial combination of natural resources (TCNR), areas of new development, secondary resources; environmental pollution, environmental policy.

Skills and abilities: be able to characterize the natural resources of the country (region) according to plan; use various methods of economic assessment of natural resources; characterize the natural prerequisites for the development of industry and agriculture of the country (region) according to the plan; give a brief description of the location of the main types of natural resources, identify countries as “leaders” and “outsiders” in terms of endowment with one or another type of natural resources; give examples of countries that do not have rich natural resources, but have achieved a high level of economic development and vice versa; give examples of rational and irrational use of resources.

Environmental pollution refers to the entry of harmful substances into the external space, but this is not a complete definition. Environmental pollution also includes radiation, increased or decreased temperature.

In other words, global environmental pollution and environmental problems of humanity are caused by any material manifestations present in an undesirable place in an undesirable concentration.

Even beneficial substances of natural origin in excess concentration can cause harm. For example, if you eat 250 grams of ordinary table salt in one sitting, death will inevitably occur.

Let's consider the main types of pollution, their causes and consequences, as well as ways to solve the problem of environmental pollution.

Quick navigation through the article

Environmental pollution objects

A person and everything that surrounds him is exposed to harmful effects. Most often, the following environmental pollution objects are highlighted:

air;
soil layer;
water.

Main types of environmental pollution

Physical pollution of the environment. It causes a change in the characteristics of the surrounding space. These include thermal, noise or radiation pollution.
Chemical. Provides for the ingress of foreign impurities that can change the chemical composition.
Biological. Pollutants are considered to be living organisms.
Mechanical pollution of the environment. This refers to garbage pollution.

All pollutants can be most generally divided into two groups:

natural;
anthropogenic.

The causes of environmental pollution may occasionally be part of natural phenomena. With rare exceptions, natural pollution does not lead to harmful consequences and is easily neutralized by the forces of nature itself. The remains of dead plants and animals rot, becoming part of the soil. The release of gases or polymetallic ores also does not have a significant destructive effect.

For many thousands of years, even before the advent of humanity, nature has developed mechanisms that help counteract such pollutants and deal effectively with them.

Of course, there are natural contaminants that create serious problems, but this is the exception rather than the rule. For example, the famous Death Valley in Kamchatka, located near the Kikhpinych volcano. The local ecology suffers greatly from it. Hydrogen sulfide emissions occur there periodically, causing environmental pollution. In calm weather, this cloud kills all living things.

Death Valley in Kamchatka

But still, the main cause of pollution is humans. It occurs most intensely as a result of human activity. It is called anthropogenic and requires more attention than natural. Most often, the concept of environmental pollution is associated with the anthropogenic factor.

Anthropogenic pollution of the external environment

Anthropogenic pollution of the environment, such as we see today, is often associated with industrial production. The point is that its avalanche-like growth began to occur when man chose the path of industrial development. Production factors of environmental pollution played a decisive role. Then there was a sharp jump in production and consumption. Human economic activity was inevitably accompanied by undesirable changes not only in its habitat, but also in the entire biosphere.

The intensity of environmental pollution has constantly increased over a number of historical eras. Initially, people did not think about the dangers of industrial emissions, but over time, the problem of environmental pollution acquired impressive proportions. Only then did we begin to realize the consequences of environmental pollution and think about how to solve these global problems, how to avoid turning our planet into a garbage dump, and what chances our descendants have to survive.

Petrochemical complex in Bashkiria

It cannot be said that humans have been polluting the environment since the advent of industry. The history of environmental pollution goes back tens of thousands of years. This happened in all eras, starting with the primitive communal system. When man began to cut down forests to build houses or plow, and to use open flames for heating and cooking, then he began to pollute the surrounding space more than any other biological species.

Today, more than ever, the relevance of environmental problems has increased, the main one of which is global human pollution.

Main types of environmental pollution associated with human activities

All biological species taken together that cause environmental pollution are not capable of causing such damage as is caused by human activity. To understand how humans pollute the environment, let's consider the main types of anthropogenic pollutants. It is worth considering that some main types of environmental pollution are difficult to classify into a specific category, since they have a complex impact. They come in the following types:

aerosols;
inorganic;
acid rain;
organics;
thermal effects;
radiation;
photochemical fog;
noises;
soil pollutants.

Let's look at the listed categories in more detail.

Aerosols

Among the types listed, aerosol is perhaps the most common. Aerosol pollution and environmental problems of mankind are caused by production factors. This includes dust, fog and smoke.

The consequences of environmental pollution with aerosols can be disastrous. Aerosols disrupt the functioning of the respiratory system and have a carcinogenic and toxic effect on the human body.

Catastrophic air pollution is produced by metallurgical plants, heating plants, and the mining industry. The latter affects the surrounding space at a variety of technological stages. Blasting operations result in significant release of large amounts of dust and carbon monoxide into the air.

Development of the Bisha gold deposit (Eritrea, Northeast Africa)

Rock dumps also cause air pollution. An example is the situation in coal mining areas. There, next to the mines, there are waste heaps, under the surface of which invisible chemical processes and combustion are constantly occurring, accompanied by the release of harmful substances into the atmosphere.

When burning coal, thermal power plants pollute the air with sulfur oxides and other impurities present in the fuel.

Another dangerous source of aerosol emissions into the atmosphere is road transport. The number of cars is increasing every year. The principle of their operation is based on the combustion of fuel with the inevitable release of combustion products into the air. If we briefly list the main causes of environmental pollution, then motor vehicles will be at the top of this list.

Everyday life in Beijing

Photochemical fog

This air pollution is more commonly known as smog. It is formed from harmful emissions affected by solar radiation. It provokes chemical pollution of the environment with nitrogen compounds and other harmful impurities.

The resulting compounds negatively affect the respiratory and circulatory systems of the body. Significant air pollution from smog can even cause death.

Caution: increased radiation

Radiation emissions can occur during emergencies at nuclear power plants and during nuclear tests. In addition, small leaks of radioactive substances are possible during research and other work.

Heavy radioactive materials settle into the soil and, together with groundwater, can spread over long distances. Light materials rise upward, are carried along with air masses and fall to the earth's surface along with rain or snow.

Radioactive impurities can accumulate in the human body and gradually destroy it, so they pose a particular danger.

Inorganic pollutants

Waste generated during the operation of plants, factories, mines, mines, and vehicles is released into the environment, polluting it. Home life is also a source of pollutants. For example, every day tons of detergents enter the soil through sewers, and then into water bodies, from where they are returned to us through the water supply.

Arsenic, lead, mercury and other chemical elements contained in household and industrial waste are likely to enter our body. From the soil they enter plants that animals and people feed on.

Harmful substances that do not enter the sewer system from reservoirs can enter the body along with sea or river fish consumed as food.

Some aquatic organisms have the ability to purify water, but due to the toxic effects of pollutants or changes in the pH of the aquatic environment, they can die.

Organic pollutants

The main organic pollutant is oil. As you know, it has a biological origin. The history of environmental pollution by petroleum products began long before the appearance of the first cars. Even before it began to be actively extracted and processed, oil from sources at the bottom of the seas and oceans could get into the water and pollute it. But some types of bacteria are able to quickly absorb and process small oil spills before they cause harm to marine fauna and flora.

Accidents of oil tankers and leaks during production lead to massive pollution of the water surface. There are numerous examples of such man-made disasters. Oil slicks form on the surface of the water, covering a wide area. Bacteria are not able to cope with this amount of oil.

The largest environmental pollution in terms of volume is the wreck of the supertanker Amoco Cadiz off the coast of France.

This pollutant kills all plants and animals living in the coastal zone. Fish, waterfowl, and marine mammals are especially affected. Their bodies are covered with a thin, sticky film, clogging all pores and openings, disrupting metabolism. Birds lose their ability to fly because their feathers become stuck together.

In such cases, nature itself is not able to cope, so people must fight environmental pollution and eliminate the consequences of oil leaks themselves. This is a global problem, and solutions to it depend on international cooperation, because no state can find ways to cope with it alone.

Soil pollutants

The main soil pollutants are not landfills and industrial wastewater, although they also make a significant contribution. The main problem is the development of agriculture. To increase productivity and control pests and weeds, our farmers do not spare their habitat. A huge number of pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers end up in the soil. Intensive farming, aimed at quickly obtaining maximum profits, leaves the soil poisoned and depleted.

Acid rain

Human economic activity has caused the phenomenon of acid rain.

Some harmful substances, when released into the atmosphere, react with moisture and form acids. Because of this, the water that falls as rain has increased acidity. It can poison the soil and even cause skin burns.

Harmful substances mix with groundwater, eventually entering our body and causing various diseases.

Thermal pollutants

Wastewater can be a pollutant even if it does not contain foreign matter. If the water performed the cooling function, it returns to the reservoir heated.

The increased temperature of wastewater can slightly increase the temperature in the reservoir. And even a slight increase can upset the balance of the ecosystem and even lead to the death of some species.

Consequences of wastewater discharges

Negative effects of noise

Throughout history, humanity has been surrounded by a variety of sounds. The development of civilization has created noises that can cause serious damage to human health.

Sounds made by vehicles cause especially significant harm. It can interfere with sleep at night and irritate the nervous system during the day. People living near railways or highways are in a constant state of nightmare. And it can be almost impossible to live near airfields, especially those serving supersonic aviation.

Discomfort can be caused by noise produced by industrial equipment.

If a person is regularly exposed to loud noises, they are at high risk of premature aging and death.

Anti-pollution

No matter how strange it may sound, pollution and environmental protection are the work of the same hands. Humanity has brought the planet to a state of ecological disaster, but only man can save it. The main reason for the current state of the environment is various pollution. These problems and ways to solve them are in our hands.

All in our hands

Therefore, the fight against environmental pollution is our top priority.

Let's look at three ways to combat environmental pollution to help solve the problem:

construction of treatment facilities;
planting forests, parks and other green spaces;
control and regulation of population.

In fact, there are many more such ways and methods, but they will not lead to good results if you do not fight the cause. It is necessary not only to clean up, but also to solve the issue of how to prevent environmental pollution. As Russian folk wisdom states, it is clean not where they sweep, but where they do not litter.

Preventing environmental pollution is a top priority. To solve the problem and prevent further disfigurement of the planet, it is necessary, for example, to use financial leverage. Solving problems of environmental pollution will be more effective if we make it profitable to respect nature and provide tax benefits to enterprises that strictly comply with environmental safety standards. The application of substantial fines to violating enterprises will simplify the solution to the problem of environmental pollution.

Using cleaner energy sources also means preventing environmental pollution. It is easier to filter wastewater than to later clean a pond of impurities.

Making the planet clean and providing comfortable conditions for the existence of humanity are top-priority tasks, and the ways to solve them are known.